Chemical agents, biological agents, radiological agents, and nuclear agents pose a threat to human and animal populations throughout the world. These agents can pose a potential threat resulting from intentional release by terrorists. Furthermore, dangerous explosions are known to be generated by terrorists. However, the above-identified agents and explosions can also pose a threat due to accidents, such as industrial accidents or natural disasters. For example, a large accidental chemical release in Bhopal, India in 1984 at a Union Carbide chemical plant killed as many as four thousand people. Industrial explosions are also known to occur.
Though sensors exist that are capable of detecting some or all the above-identified agents and explosions (referred to herein as events), the sensors are not in sufficiently widespread use to detect events in most geographic locations. Placing sensors at a sufficiently large number of locations to greatly increase a probability of event detection would require a great number of sensors and a large supporting infrastructure to mount the sensors, power the sensors, and receive signals from the sensors.
Furthermore, even if an event were detected, there is no ability to rapidly coordinate a response among many types of responders. Responders can include people from a variety of public and governmental organizations. For example, responders can include, but are not limited to, police, fire departments, civil defense, national guard, military, centers for disease control, disaster relief agencies, Red Cross, emergency medical technicians, hospitals, local government officials, state government officials, and federal government officials.
Proper coordination of the many types of responders requires a variety of types of information, some of which are not readily available upon first detection of an event. For example, types of information associated with an event include, but are not limited to, what was the type of event, where did the event occur, what was the geographic extent of the event, was the event correlated with other events, what is an acceptable response, what is the type of help needed, e.g., what agencies or departments, and what is the quantity of help needed.
Often, speed of response to an event is crucial in order to reduce harm to people, property, and the economy. However, the above-described types of information are often determined and/or acquired over a period of time by one or more people, limiting the speed of the response to the event.